Trail Information
Sunday, September 10, 2023 – 10:00 am.
The hike begins along the ‘Tower Road’ to the Gulch Trail Head. In the first 800 m of the hike the road drops about 50 m and takes you across a saddle giving you an aerial view of Bay St. Lawrence on the left and a view of Aspy Bay and White Point on the right. One then goes back up and follow the ridge through small spruce trees to the Gulch Trail Head. [S 46 59.970′; W 60 25.967′] Approximate time along Tower Road is 50 to 60 minutes. The hike then turns right off the road and winds through low spruce and alder to a spectacular bare ridge from which one sees all of Aspy Bay, White Point and St. Paul Island. [N 46 59.587′; W 60 25.318′] Along this section there are many ‘big’ ocean views. Much of this section is not on a groomed path and requires following flagging while picking ones way around windfalls and brush. Approximate time for this off road section is 30 minutes. We return as we came. Walking back on Tower Road one gets wonderful views of Sugar Loaf Mountain. This is one of the few vantage points that clearly shows Sugar Loaf to be the highest peak in the area. Total hike time (including lunch) is about 3.5 to 4 hours. Total distance is 10 km.
The trail climbs the ‘old road’ to the top of the mountain, about 1000 foot elevation. Once on top, the trail follows a dirt ‘service’ road for a couple of kilometers along the top ridge of Money Point Mountain. The trail then turns off the road and winds through low spruce and alder to a spectacular bare ridge from which one sees all of Aspy Bay and White Point. Along this section there are many ‘big’ ocean views. Much of this section is not on a groomed path and requires following flagging while picking ones way around windfalls and brush. We return as we came.
Time/Distance: 3.5 – 4 hrs / 10 km
Difficulty Rating: 3C
Trail head/Starting Point: (Note: This is a new starting point for this hike. )
Coming from the Cabot Trail turn right at the Bell Aliant building at the top of the mountain in Bay Road Valley before the road descends into St. Margaret’s Village and Bay St. Lawrence. [N 46 58.580′; W 60 27.464′] Drive 1.7 km (slowly) up the mountain. Go past the gravel pit to the registration area. [N 46 58.592; W 60 27.234′] (Caution: Occasionally the gravel pit is operational and you might share the road with gravel trucks.)
Money Point (Gulch) Photo Gallery:
Photos by Wally Hayes – NS Tourism, Greg Jurczyszyn & Tom Wilson.